Fuel mileage calculator



Nav. 22, 1949 R R, HERRICK A' 2,489,030

FUEL MILEAGE CALCULATOR Filed sept. 2e, 1945 ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 22,1949 UNTTED STATES PATENT oEEicE FUEL MILEAGE CALCULATOR Ralph R.Herrick, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Application September 26, 1945, Serial No. 618,696

4 Claims.

This invention is for a calculating device and relates more particularlyto a calculating device of staple construction to be used in rapidlycalculating the distance, as for example, the number of miles per gallonor other unit of fuel obtained by an automobile or other vehicle orvessel.

The invention has for its object to provid-e a calculator of cheap andsimple construction, by means of which the owner or operator of avehicle may very readily and quickly obtain an accurate determination ofthe distance per unit of fu-el being obtained by an automobile or othervehicle. The device is of a character such that it can be manufacturedand distributed at W cost, perhaps even being distributed as anadvertising novelty. It is designed to give a reasonably accurateindication of mileage per unit of fuel on either short distances or overlong distances. While I shall hereinafter refer to mileage in referenceto distance, and to gallons in reference to units of fuel, it will beunderstood that this is by way of illustration, and that the device maybe equally calibrated for use in estimating kilometers or otherdistances with liters or other units of volume, instead of gallons.

The invention may be readily understood by reference to the accompanying(drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a calculator embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a section in the plane of line II-II of Fig. 1, the sectionbeing a transverse horizontal section;

Fig. 3 is a section in the plane of line III-III of Fig. 1, the sectionbeing a transverse vertical section; and

Fig. l is a fragmentary front elevation of a modification.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 3, the device may be conveniently formedof sheet plastic material, or may be formed partly of paper and partlyof transparent material. It comprises a body designated generally as 2,and formed of thin transparent sheet material folded upon itself toprovide a front flap 3 and a rear ap or panel 4 with a folded baseportion 5. The parts 3 and 4 are generally circular.

Located between the front and rear panels 3 and 4 is a rotatable disk 9Which is pivotally secured in the structure by an eyel-et 8 acting as apivot.

The base portion 5 may be provided with a panel l0 or other writingsurface to provide for the inscription of a speedometer reading at thestart of a test run. The inscription panel may be of a character onwhich marks can readily be made with a pencil and subsequently erased.Plastic writing surfaces of this character are weil known in the art. Atthe other end of the base portion of the panel are a plurality(preferably 3) independently rotatable disks ll, l2 and I3, these beingpivoted between the two folds of the base, and the base is cut away toexpose the peripheries of the disks for turning them. The base isprovided with windows Il', I2', and I3 for eX- posing numbers on thedisks il, l2 and i3 respectively. These disks are adjusted to show thegasoline consumption during the test run. The numbers on the severaldisks Il, l2 and i3 run from 0 to 9, so that gasoline consumption up toseveral hundred gallons may, if desired, be indicated.

The circular front panel 3 of the body has a central transparent windowarea l, and around this window area is a numbered scale arranged incircular fashion concentric with the pivot 8. Concentric with the innerscale, which is designated generally as 6, there is a second scale onthe front panel 3, and which is designated generally as 6a. The innerscale 6 is calibrated from 1 to 50, the numeral 1, however, not beingmarked, but it coincides with the "12 oclock position and the distancebetween successive digits in the scale decrease according to logarithmicprogression. The outer scale 6a progresses in units of 10 from 100 to300, and units of 50 from 300 t0 1000. The spacing of the markingscorresponds to the logarithmic values of the numbers, the spacing ofcourse decreasing as the numbers become higher in the logarithmicprogression.

On the rotatable intermediate disk 9 around the periphery of the panel 3is a third scale which is also a logarithmic scale, and which may runfrom 1 to 100 or higher. In the illustration, the first number of thescale which is visible is 20, and the last number which is shown is 100,this showing sufiicient of the scale for the purposes of the Ypresentinvention. The rotatable disk .Si has an indicator of some kind,preferably an arrow i4, painted on it so that the point of the arrowterminatesadjacent the scale 6 on the panel 3. This arrow is visiblethrough the transparent central portion 1 of the panel 3. Being paintedon the disk 9, it moves with the rotation of the disk 9 around the scale6.

The Scale on the disk 9 represents gasoline or fuel consumed. Thefigures in the scale 5a represent distance values, and the figures inthe scale 6 represent miles per gallon. In using the device, theoperator may conveniently record his odometer reading on the inscriptionpanel IE at the 3 beginning of his trip. Using the disks I I, I2 and I3,he may indicate the amount of gasoline in the vehicle at the start ofthe trip, and as additional fuel is purchased, he may indicate theadditional purchases so that at the end of the test run, the totalgasoline consumption for the trip will appear in the windows II', I2'and I3.

At the end of a given test period, the operator may readily calculatethe distance covered by ilrst subtracting the original readingsubscribed on the panel I 0 from the odometer reading at the end of thetest peri-od to determine the dist-ance which has been covered. He willthen move the disk 9 to bring .the total number of gallons of gasolineconsumed opposite the figure on the scale Ba which corresponds to thetotal distance covered. The arrow I4 4will then .point to the miles offuel per gallon which has been obtained during the run, the pointer I4pointing to the miles per gallon on the scale 6.

For example, with the setting shown in Fig. 1, llthappens that thenumlber22 on the disk 9 coin cides with the number 100 on the mileagescale. vThe arrow I4 points to the scale B at a point between thenumerals 4 and 5, showing that; if 22 .-gallons were used to go 100miles, the-mileage per gallon 'would be slightly more than 41/ miles. Itwill also be observed that with the same setting the'fgure indicating 90gallons on the disk of scale 9 registers slightly over the -iigure 400on `the mileagescaleyshowing that if it took 90 gallons to go slightlymore than 400 -miles, the mileage would be slightly more than 41/2 milesper gallon.

n In the drawing the scales are approximate, rather than being preciselyaccurate, but one skilled in ,the art may readily correct for thisslight inaccuracy, the drawings showing the principle of my invention.

Because of the logarithmic values of the several scales,the deviceenables the amount of fuel consumed to be brought into register with thetotal mileage covered on the test run .togive the mileage obtained pergallon of tuel. It will of course be observed that in lieu of fgallonsfliterslor other units ormeasure may be substituted, and Lin lieu ofmiles, lkilometers or other units of distance may appear.

Fig. 4 shows a slight modication embodying the same principle. In thisfigure, there is a card 2U on which is pivoted a' diskZ I, the pivot-forthe ydisk being designated 22. The disk is provided with a window 23.Printed on the card 20 is'a circularly arranged series offigures 21'6,vlocated so as to be invisible except as such iigures may be Yexposedthrough the window 23. The gures in z. the scale 24 correspond tothefigures represent ing milesper gallon in the scale l-` described in Fig.1.

Around the `periphery of the disk A.2| there isa second scale designatedgenerally as `25, representing the total mileage coverediandcorresponding to the scale 6a in Fig. l. On the `periphery of the disk2| there is a third scale26,"representing the total fuel consumption`for thetest run. It

lthe total mileage is 200, the: gallons of fuel is l0,

so that the number' ZOappears inthe-window.

While I have illustrated and described certain teo specific preferredembodiments of my invention, it will be understood that this is merelyillustrative, and that various changes and modications may be ma'detherein, and that various materials may be used, all within thecontemplation of my invention and under the scope of the `followingclaims.

I claim:

l. A fuel mileage calculating device comprising two members, kone ofwhich is pivotally supported for movement in a circle relatively to theother, one of said members having a circular logarithmically calibratedscale indicative of total fuel consumption, and having an indicatorassociated therewith, the other member having two separateconcentrically arranged logarithmically calibrat- `ed scales alongcircles having different diameters,

one of which is indicative of the total distance traveled and the otherof which is indicative oi fuel units perunit of distance traveled, theindi- `of which is a logarithmic progression of distance values, and theother of which is a logarithmic `progression representing distancecovered per unit offiuel, a rotatable disk concentrically arranged withreference to the scales on 'the body and having a scale thereon injuxtaposition tothe nrst of said scales on `the body, the scale on thedisk being logarithmically proportioned and representing total fuelconsumption values, and indicating means on sai'd disk movable in acircle ad- .jacent the second-of said scales on the body so 'that-whenthe scale on the disk representing total 'fuel consumption is adjustedto bring the figure representingtheA fuel consumed opposite that ngureon the body -whichrepresents total distance covered, the indicatorwillpoint to a position on the second scale on said body to indicate thenum Vber of miles traveled per unit of fuel.

v3. Aiuel mileage calculating device comprising a body havingconcentricinner and outer scales,

Lthev outerof said scales being calibrated according fto a logarithmicprogression of .distance values,

the inner of said scales being calibrated according to a 4logarithmicprogression representing :mileage per unit of fuel, a rotatable diskpivotally supported on the body and having a scale thereonconcentrically positioned with reference to the outermost scale on thebody and having markl ings thereon adapted to be brought intoregistration with the markings of the outermost scale on :the body, thescale on the disk being logarithmically arranged according to the numberof fuel units consumed, the rotatable disk having an indicator thereonmovable adjacent the inner scale on the body andvisible through thebody, the

`several scales being so arranged that when the figure on the diskrepresenting the total number offuel units consumed is brought oppositethe indicator and inner scale will register the number of' distanceunits traveled per unit of iuel used.

y4. A fuel mileage calculating device comprising "a member having twoconcentrically arranged lcircular logarithmically calibrated scales with5 numerical values indicated thereon, radially aligned values on onescale being an even multiple of the correspondingly positioned Values onthe other, the scale having the smaller series of numbers indicatingmiles per gallon of fuel used and the other scale designating totaldistance traveled, a second member pivotally attached to the first sothat one may rotate relatively to the other with the scales beingconcentric about the axis of rotation, and another logarithmicallycalibrated scale on the second member concentrcally arranged about theaxis of rotation and in juxtaposition to that scale on the rst memberwhich indicates total distance covered, and an indicator on the secondmember movable along the miles-per-gallon scale of the first member.

RALPH R. HERRICK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

lll

OTHER REFERENCES Pages 384-388 of Dec. 1917 issue and page 247 of Nov.1917 issue of Industrial Management.

Page 8 of Graphical and Mechanical Computation, by Joseph Lipka;published by John di) Wiley 8l Sons, Inc., New York, N. Y. in 1918.

